Young, ambitious, and super talented, the child music stars were our idols while growing up. They were the toast of the Nigerian music industry. If you were born in the 80s or 90s, you would know them. However, while some left the spotlight to pursue careers outside of the entertainment industry, others still stuck to music. Let’s see if you can remember these fantastic five:
1. Tosin Jegede
Tosin Jegede was a child singing sensation in the 1980s. She released her first album ‘Children Arise’ in 1985 at age five and two more albums, ‘Leaders of Africa’ and ‘Children of Africa’ in 1989 and 1992 respectively. She left the country to further her education and earned a degree in Business Decision and Analysis from the University of Bristol, London. She also worked briefly in the UK as a Pension Adviser. Jegede briefly returned to Nigeria in 2012 to launch her foundation. She currently lives in the United Kingdom.
2. Chichi of Africa
Chibuzo Onwuegbu-Idowu, popularly known as Chichi of Africa, was the toast of many Nigerian parents many of who wished their kids were so talented. She performed at major shows within and outside the country. Unlike Tosin Jegede, she left the music scene rather early. Over the years, she worked with an events company, Tequila events and Lamppost, a subsidiary of Prima Garnet, an advertising agency. Today, Chichi, who studied History at the University of Lagos, is a UK-trained make-up artist and a notable fashion entrepreneur. She is married to a pilot and they are blessed with three daughters.
3. Ada Ehi
She is still active in the industry carving a niche in gospel songs. She got her first shot at stardom at the age of 10 when she was selected to be a member of Tosin Jegede’s Girls Band. Together, they graced many stages along with a host of legendary Nigerian musicians of the time. Her romance with music continued while she was studying Chemical and Polymer Engineering at Lagos State University. Her gospel-singing career continued in the Christ Embassy Presidential Choir. It was a great platform to hone her music skills. She is currently an internationally known gospel singer whose contemporaries include Sinach, Joe Praize, and Frank Edwards.
4. Udo Mariam
A Nigerian child prodigy, Ofonime Felix Okon became a superstar overnight in 1992 at age 4 after late First Lady, Maryam Babangida, was thrilled by his skills on the xylophone. It was at the Conference of Nigerian First Ladies held in Lagos. So impressed by his performance, Mrs Babangida immediately drafted him to tour the nation under the aegis of her pet project, Better Life for Rural Women programme. He was immediately christened ‘Udo Mariam,’ meaning the second son of Maryam in his native dialect, Ibibio. He bagged a Higher National Diploma in Business Management from the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic. He currently manages Udo Mariam cultural troupe which was founded by his late dad. The troupe has been together for 21 years.
5. Benita Okojie
Okojie started out singing mixes of Edo and Yoruba music alongside her siblings. She came into the limelight with her single “Osemudiamen” in 1998 at the age of 10. Her music career was independently managed by her father who had worked with musicians including Onyeka Onwenu, Felix Liberty, Chris Okotie, and Sonny Okosun. He was credited with the production, distribution and marketing of her music. In 1999, Okojie performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA Under-21 World Cup which was hosted in Nigeria (Nigeria 99).[6] She also performed at Nigeria’s 40th independence anniversary celebration in 2000.Her single titled ”Unity Games” was the theme song for the 8th All Africa Games.She has featured on a reality TV show titled Moving Up the Squad alongside Nollywood actresses. She works alongside her husband and still releases music.